Patent It Yourself - PDF Archive

ChaPter 10 | FINALING and MAILING Your APPLICATION | 285
PDF format. In addition some programs—for example,
newer versions of Microsoft Word—come with PDFconversion
as a built-in feature. At some loss of detail
you can also scan the documents directly to PDF files.
Some scanners, such as the Canon LiDE series, come
with enabling software. You may want to scan each
document to a separate multipage PDF file and give it
a descriptive name, for example, Dwgs.pdf and Spec.
pdf. In any case, all PDF documents submitted via
EFS-Web must have a minimum resolution of 300 DPI
and a white background. Put all of the PDF application
computer files into a separate PDF Application Holding
Folder with a suitable name (for example, Derailleur
RPA PDFs).
• Prepare a PDF Data Sheet: Find the fillable and savable
EFS Application Data Sheet (ADS) (PTO Form SB/14)
by going to www.uspto.gov/ebc, then click EFS-Web
Unregistered eFilers, then Electronic Filing, then
eFiling Forms, or go directly to www.uspto.gov/ebc/
portal/efs/US_ADS_Form_SB_14.pdf. If you have a
PC, right-click the SB/14 form listing and select “Save
Target As …” and save the form on your desktop. This
will enable you to fill in the form, save it with the data
you filled in, and revise it later if necessary. If you fill
it online, you won’t be able to do this. After you’ve
saved Form SB/14 to your desktop, check Highlight
Required Fields. The program will then automatically
fill in the header blanks. Check “Request Not to
Publish” (recommended) but remember to revoke your
Nonpublication Request (NPR) if you foreign file later.
Then, save the completed form using a suitable name,
such as Data.pdf, in your PDF Application Holding
Folder with your other PDF application forms.
Yes, There Is a Way to Save the
Fillable PDF Declaration Form
Other than PTO/SB/28, some of the forms you may use
for EFS-Web filing may state, “You cannot save data typed
into this form. Please print your completed form if you
would like a copy for your records.” How can you obtain
a PDF copy of a completed form? Instead of filling it in
online, printing it, and scanning it to PDF, I recommend
that you install the free file converter CutePDF Writer
(or any other PDF creation program with a print-to-PDF
feature) and then, after you fill in the Declaration Form
online, open the printer window and select in the Name
window CutePDF Writer (or other PDF printer, if you’re
using a different program). Then click and save a PDF file
of the Declaration form.
• Sign On: Go to www.uspto.gov/ebc/index.html. If
you haven’t registered as an eFiler, click on EFS-Web
Unregistered eFilers and fill in your name and email
and the type of application (Provisional) and click
Continue. If you have registered, click on EFS-Web
Registered eFilers. Then fill in your Digital Certificate
and Password, which you already have. You can recover
the Digital Certificate by browsing to Program Files/
USPTO in your computer and opening the file with
your name and an .epf suffix, for example, John Smith.
epf. Click Authenticate and then certify your identity,
select New application, and the type of application, and
click Continue. If you get stuck at any time, call the
PTO’s Electronic Business Center at 866-217-9197.
• Application Data: On the Application Data page fill
in the title of the invention, a docket number for the
application of your choosing (optional, but a suitable
docket number can be something like “Krypton
Derailleur”), and your name and Customer Number or
address. It’s best to copy this data electronically from
your Data Sheet so that everything will be consistent.
(Even if you’re not registered you can obtain a
Customer Number, which will take a few days but will
save you from having to type your address each time.)
Click Continue.
• Attach PDF Files: In the Attach Documents page click
the Browse button and find your PDF Application
Holding Folder which contains the PDF files of your
application. Select one of your PDF application files,
e.g., the Data file, click open, and you should see it in
the Files To Be Submitted box adjacent the Browse
button. Then open the Category pull-down menu
adjacent the middle window and select Application
Part. Then open the rightmost pull-down menu and
select Application Data Sheet. (Make sure the No
button opposite Does your PDF file contain multiple
documents is checked because it’s more difficult to
work when everything is in one PDF document.)
Then click the Add File button and another row of
three windows will open. Repeat the above steps
for each of your other PDF application files (that
is, Dwgs.pdf, Spec.pdf, and Dec.pdf), selecting the
Document Description in the third window for each.
When you’ve attached all of the PDF files in your
PDF Application Holding Folder, click the Upload &
Validate button at the bottom.
• Review Documents: After a few minutes, you’ll
eventually get a Review Documents page, which should
show all of the documents you’ve attached. Make sure
your entire application (drawings, specification, data
sheet, and Declaration) are there and there are no